1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tent or awning, and more particularly to a mechanism for opening and closing a tent or awning.
2. Description of Prior Art
Tents or awnings are leisure apparatuses standing outdoors. Conventional big foldable tents or awnings require more operators for operating smoothly due to the bigger volume and heavier weight. So, there are a variety of roof staying mechanisms for facilitating the pitching and closing operation as their essential aims. Over the years, tents with umbrella-type collapsible frames have been developed to accommodate the user with easy opening and closing of tents but the user also encountered problems associated with failing parts, namely, failure in the locking mechanism.
So, more recently, umbrella-type tents without locking mechanisms have been developed to eliminate the concern for any potential malfunction of a locking mechanism on a tent. For example, the tent shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,617 (“'617 Tent”), incorporated herein by reference, does not have a locking mechanism but is nevertheless capable of remaining open and closed. Even though the '617 Tent does not require a locking mechanism, it still has its disadvantages. First, substantial force is required to close the tent because the user must overcome the resistance generated by the lengthy spring 18. Second, the tent is much bulkier due to the length of the shank part of the rib holder 14.